Teratophon

Teratophon
Temporal range: Middle Triassic, 245–241Ma
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Procolophonomorpha
Family: Procolophonidae
Subfamily: Procolophoninae
Genus: Teratophon
Modesto & Damiani, 2003
Type species
Teratophon spinigenis
(Gow, 1977a [originally Thelegnathus spinigenis])

Teratophon is an extinct genus of procolophonine procolophonid parareptile from middle Triassic (early Anisian stage) deposits of Free State Province, South Africa. It is known from the holotype BP/1/4299, a nearly complete skull. It was collected by the South African palaeontologist, James W. Kitching from Hugoskop in the Rouxville District and referred to subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Burgersdorp Formation, Beaufort Group (Karoo Basin). It was first named by Sean P. Modesto and Ross J. Damiani in 2003 and the type species is Teratophon spinigenis. It was first assigned to a species of Thelegnathus (now considered to be a nomen dubium), Thelegnathus spinigenis.[1][2]

References

  1. Sean P. Modesto and Ross J. Damiani (2003). "Taxonomic status of Thelegnathus browni Broom, a procolophonid reptile from the South African Triassic". Annals of Carnegie Museum 72 (1): 53–64.
  2. C. E. Gow (1977). "New Procolophonids from the Triassic Cynognathus Zone of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum 72 (6): 109–124.